§8.113.1οἱ δʼ ἀμφὶ Ξέρξην ἐπισχόντες ὀλίγας ἡμέρας μετὰ τὴν ναυμαχίην ἐξήλαυνον ἐς Βοιωτοὺς τὴν αὐτὴν ὁδόν.
Xerxes and his men, having waited for a few days after the sea-fight, marched out to Boeotia by the same road.
ἔδοξε γὰρ Μαρδονίῳ ἅμα μὲν προπέμψαι βασιλέα, ἅμα δὲ ἀνωρίη εἶναι τοῦ ἔτεος πολεμέειν, χειμερίσαι τε ἄμεινον εἶναι ἐν Θεσσαλίῃ, καὶ ἔπειτα ἅμα τῷ ἔαρι πειρᾶσθαι τῆς Πελοποννήσου.
For it seemed best to Mardonius, on the one hand, to escort the king, and on the other hand, that it was unseasonable to wage war at this time of the year, and that it was better to winter in Thessaly, and then, at the beginning of spring, to make an attempt upon the Peloponnese.
§8.113.2ὡς δὲ ἀπίκατο ἐς τὴν Θεσσαλίην, ἐνθαῦτα Μαρδόνιος ἐξελέγετο πρώτους μὲν τοὺς Πέρσας πάντας τοὺς ἀθανάτους καλεομένους, πλὴν Ὑδάρνεος τοῦ στρατηγοῦ (οὗτος γὰρ οὐκ ἔφη λείψεσθαι βασιλέος), μετὰ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων Περσέων τοὺς θωρηκοφόρους καὶ τὴν ἵππον τὴν χιλίην, καὶ Μήδους τε καὶ Σάκας καὶ Βακτρίους τε καὶ Ἰνδούς, καὶ τὸν πεζὸν καὶ τὴν ἄλλην ἵππον.
When they had arrived in Thessaly, Mardonius there began to select, first of all, all the Persians who were called the Immortals, except for their general Hydarnes (for he said he would not be left behind by the king); and after them, from the rest of the Persians, those who wore breastplates, and the thousand cavalry; and also the Medes, the Sacae, the Bactrians, and the Indians, both their infantry and the rest of their cavalry.
§8.113.3ταῦτα μὲν ἔθνεα ὅλα εἵλετο, ἐκ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων συμμάχων ἐξελέγετο κατʼ ὀλίγους, τοῖσι εἴδεά τε ὑπῆρχε διαλέγων καὶ εἰ τεοῖσι τι χρηστὸν συνῄδεε πεποιημένον·
These nations he chose in their entirety, but from the other allies he selected a few at a time, picking out those who possessed a fine appearance, and any of whom he knew to have performed some good service.
ἓν δὲ πλεῖστον ἔθνος Πέρσας αἱρέετο, ἄνδρας στρεπτοφόρους τε καὶ ψελιοφόρους, ἐπὶ δὲ Μήδους· οὗτοι δὲ τὸ πλῆθος μὲν οὐκ ἐλάσσονες ἦσαν τῶν Περσέων, ῥώμῃ δὲ ἥσσονες.
The single largest nation he chose was the Persians, men who wore collars and bracelets, and next to them the Medes; these latter were not fewer in number than the Persians, but were inferior in strength.
ὥστε σύμπαντας τριήκοντα μυριάδας γενέσθαι σὺν ἱππεῦσι.
Thus the whole number, including the cavalry, came to three hundred thousand.